My Sabah Journey: Day (01) Butterflies in the sky. Tambunan.

All 4 of us hopped into the car with a map of Sabah, luggage and cash, camera (unfortunately, not mine) and food, and kick started our 4 days of driving trip across Sabah. Our first route, totally unplanned and spontaneous, to head UP and DOWN to Tambunan, Beaufort crossed out since the rail track is under renovation and not running.

So anyway... Like I said, it's a totally UP and DOWN trip all right along the Crocker Range. And Tambunan, the main town itself seems to be on the OTHER side of the range. We were travelling pass 2 mountains to get to it, namely Gunung Emas (Mount Emas) and Gunung Alab (Mount Alab). But the road surprisingly was not as winding as climbing up Fraser's Hill, smooth and amazingly steep. I wonder how the timber lorries managed to travel through this road daily. But the view was amazing! Green valleys, thick white mist, rainbows...

Roadside rainbow, Tambunan '08

On the way we discovered a recently opened butterfly park, Kipandi Butterfly Park. Since the engine was smoking threateningly from the strenous drive, we decided to stop and take a look. Though new, its museum of insects and other creepy - crawlies was cool enough and throw in a friendly guide, you'd be bowled over as he toured you through the museum and the park. The only butterfly name I can recall now is Raja Brooke, but rest assure that the park has many species to offer at close up ranges for an entrance fee of RM10. Another attraction was the wild orchid garden where you can see orchids as such you've never seen before. Different from their city counterparts, these wild orchids were sometimes so tiny that we brushed pass without noticing anything but their strong fragrance. If interested, you can buy some orchids to be taken home and figure out the immigration problem later.

Kipandi Butterfly Park, Tambunan '08

Next, a stop at Puncak Azam Cafe along the way. The food was ok, my 3 buddies were shocked with the noodle soup loaded with cucumber while my kampung - style fried rice turned out pretty good. The other reason we pit - stopped here was because there was a musolla there. The view from the verandah was... Let's just say that all I saw was white. The mist was too thick and it was pretty cold too. It's like being totaly wrapped up in a different world alright. A cold one.

The view from Puncak Azam cafe, Tambunan '08

Of course, we just have to stop at the Rafflesia Information Centre when we saw the signboard. Though disappointed that no flower was in bloom, we left with some souvenirs and continue. (By the way, the local newspapers will announce the start of blooming season.)

And finally... Finally we reached Tambunan main town. It's a small, quiet town. Majority were Christians so finding a place to eat was quite difficult. We stopped just for me to pray at the Nurul Iman mosque before beginning our journey back to KK. A stop at the petrol station prior, then we're off. The journey back was more relaxing as driving down was easier. But it started raining halfway and the mist became thicker till all you can see were your headlights.

Nurul Iman mosque, Tambunan '08

Back in Marina Court apartment, no one stayed up late.


Note: by the way, more complete information and amazing pictures of Kipandi Butterfly Park can be found here at http://beautifulkk.com/2009/03/20/kipandi-butterfly-park/ (Beautifulkk.com)